This is a partial list of man-made disasters in South Korea since the Korean War. It includes events that have a Wikipedia entry and other events mentioned in a reputable source.
Year | Date | Location | Number killed | Type | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | 5 January | en route from Yeosu to Pusan | 229 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry MV Changgyeong | [1] |
1960 | 26 January | Seoul Railroad Station | 31 | Stampede | At least 3,926 person trigger rush to platform on Number 601 local train, according to South Korea National Police Agency official confirmed report.[ citation needed ] | |
1969 | 11 December | Departed from Gangneung Air Base | 0 | Terrorism | Hijacking of South Korean domestic flight | Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking |
1970 | 14 October | Mosan accident | 46 | Level crossing accident | A 77 middle student board on bus, collision with Janghang Station bound express train at Mosan, Chungcheongnam-do, to according to SKNPA official confirmed report.[ citation needed ] | |
1971 | 18 January | Kimpo | 6 | Mass murder | Killing spree by South Korean marine | 1971 Kimpo killings [2] |
1971 | 28 December | Seoul | 164 | Fire | Deadliest hotel fire in South Korean history | Daeyeonggak Hotel fire |
1972 | 15 December | en route from Seogwipo to Busan | 323 to 326 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry Namyoung-Ho | Sinking of Namyoung-Ho |
1974 | 3 November | Seoul | 64 | Nightclub fire | Time Club fire | List of nightclub fires |
1975 | August to October | Various | 17 | Serial killing | Serial killing spree | Kim Dae-doo |
1977 | 11 November | Iksan, North Jeolla | 56 to 59 | Explosion | Accidental detonation of a munitions train | Iri Station explosion |
1980 | 15 November | Gimpo International Airport | 15 | Aviation accident | Pilot error on landing due to bad weather | Korean Air Lines Flight 015 |
1980 | 18-27 May | Gwangju | 187 | Pro-democracy demonstrations | Demonstrations opposing the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth | Gwangju Uprising |
1982 | 6 February | Jeju International Airport | 53 | Aviation accident | Crashing of military plane from bad weather | February 1982 Korean Air Force C-123 accident |
1982 | 18 March | Busan | 1 | Arson | Arson attack on US target | Busan American Cultural Service building arson |
1982 | 18 April | Uiryeong County | 25 | Fire | Accidental fire in a club, fire escapes chained shut | List of nightclub fires |
1982 | 26-27 April | Uiryeong County | 63 | Mass murder | Shooting spree by a former marine | Uiryeong Spree Killing |
1984 | 14 January | Busan | 34 | Fire | Hotel Fire | [3] |
1986-1988 | October 1986 - August 1988 | Seoul | 5 | Serial killing | Poisonings with potassium cyanide | Kim Sun-ja (serial killer) |
1986–1991 | 15 September 1986 - 3 April 1991 | Hwaseong | 15 | Serial killing | Hwaseong serial murders | Lee Choon-jae |
1986 | 5 April | Osan Air Base | 16 | Fire | Fire at a military fuel depot | [4] |
1986 | 14 September | Gimpo International Airport | 5 | Terrorism | Bombing of airport by North Korea | Gimpo International Airport bombing |
1987 | 17 June | near Koje Island | 25 - 38 | Fire | Fire onboard thanks to overheating engine | Kukdong-ho Fire [ citation needed ] |
1987 | 29 November | over the Andaman Sea | 115 | Terrorism | Airliner destroyed by bomb planted aboard | Korean Air Flight 858 |
1988 | 25 March | Anyang, Gyeonggi | 22 | Fire | Fire inside of Green Hill Textile Company | [5] [6] [7] [8] |
1991 | 26 March | Daegu | 5 | Mass murder | Unsolved homicide of 5 boys | Frog Boys |
1991 | 17 October | Daegu | 16 | Arson | Attack on a nightclub | [9] |
1993 | 28 March | Gupo station | 78 | Train derailment | Unauthorized tunneling under causing track to collapse | |
1993 | 26 July | Mokpo Airport | 69 | Aviation accident | Pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain | Asiana Airlines Flight 733 |
1993 | 10 October | offshore near Buan County | 292 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry in bad weather | Sinking of MV Seohae |
1993-94 | South Jeolla | 5 | Serial killing | Serial killing against the rich; cannibalism | Chijon family | |
1994 | 21 October | Seoul | 32 | Structural failure | Collapse of section of bridge from faulty weld | Seongsu Bridge Disaster |
1995 | 28 April | Daegu | 101 | Explosion | Construction accident leading to puncturing of gas pipe | 1995 Daegu gas explosions |
1995 | 29 June | Seoul | 502 | Structural failure | Department store collapse from structural overload | Sampoong Department Store collapse |
1996 | 17 September – 5 November | Gangneung | 40 | Military confrontation | Infiltration of North Korean spy submarine resulting in casualties to both sides | 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident |
1998 | 22 June | near Sokcho | 9 | Military confrontation | Sinking of damaged North Korean spy submarine under South Korean Navy control | 1998 Sokcho submarine incident |
1999 | 30 June | Hwaseong | 23 | Fire | Fire at children's summer camp dormitory | Sealand Youth Training Center Fire |
1999 | 30 October | Inchon | 54 to 65 | Fire | Fire at illegal bar for underage drinkers | [10] |
1999-2000 | June 1999 - April 2000 | Various | 9 | Serial killing | Serial killing spree | Jeong Du-yeong |
2000 | October - December | North Jeolla Province | 3 | Serial killing | Serial killing or rape of minors | Kim Hae-sun |
2002 | 15 April | near Busan | 129 | Aviation accident | Pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain | Air China Flight 129 |
2003 | 18 February | Daegu | 192 | Arson | Suicide attack by setting fire to a subway train | Daegu subway fire |
2003–04 | September 2003 to July 2004 | Seoul | 20 | Serial killing | Killing spree of prostitutes and old men; cannibalism | Yoo Young-chul |
2004–06 | January 2004 to April 2006 | Gyeonggi Province | 15 | Serial killing | Serial killing spree | Jeong Nam-gyu |
2005–08 | October 2005 to December 2008 | Ansan | 10 | Serial killing | Serial killing spree of women due to lust | Kang Ho-sun |
2008 | 10 February | Seoul | 0 | Arson | Arson to historic Namdaemun gate | 2008 Namdaemun fire |
2008 | 20 October | Seoul | 6 | Mass murder | Arson and stabbing attack | Nonhyeon-dong massacre |
2008 | 7 January | Icheon | 40 | Fire | Fire in warehouse under construction | 2008 Icheon fire [11] |
2010 | 26 March | offshore near Baengnyeongdo | 46 | Military confrontation | North Korean attack | ROKS Cheonan sinking |
2011 | 4 July | Ganghwa Island | 4 | Mass murder | Mass shooting | [12] |
2011 | 28 July | crashed near Jeju Island | 2 | Aviation accident | Crash resulting from fire in aircraft's cargo | Asiana Airlines Flight 991 |
2011 - 2014 | Pocheon | 3 | Serial killing | Killing of relatives with herbicides for money | Pocheon poisonings | |
2014 | 16 April | en route from Inchon to Jeju island | 304 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry from crew error and overloading | Sinking of MV Sewol |
2014 | 2 May | Seoul | 0 | Subway accident | Rear-end collision | 2014 Seoul subway crash |
2014 | 21 June | Gangwon | 5 | Mass murder | Rampage by a South Korean soldier | Goseong killing spree |
2014 | 17 October | Seongnam | 16 | Structural failure | Ventilation grate collapse at K-pop concert | [13] |
2015 | 25-27 February | Sejong City and Hwaseong | 8 | Mass murder | Two separate mass murder-suicides two days apart | 2015 Sejong and Hwaseong shootings |
2015 | 6 September | offshore near Chuja | 18 | Maritime accident | Fishing boat lost in heavy seas | Sinking of Dolgorae |
2017 | 21 December | Jecheon | 29 | Fire | Electrical fire in a gym | Jecheon building fire [14] |
2018 | 20 January | Miryang | 5 | Fire | Arson attack on a hotel | [15] |
2018 | 26 January | Miryang | 41 | Fire | Unknown cause; lack of sprinklers | Miryang hospital fire |
2018 | June | Gunsan | 5 | Fire | Arson | [16] |
2018 | 19 August | Inchon | 9 | Fire | Fire in an electronics factory | [17] |
2018 | 9 November | Seoul | 7 | Fire | Fire caused by electric stove overheating | [18] |
2020 | 29 April | Icheon | 39 | Fire | Fire in a warehouse under construction | 2020 Icheon fire |
2021 | 9 June | Gwangju | 9 | Structural Failure | Construction error during demolition | 2021 Gwangju building collapse |
2022 | 9 June | Daegu | 7 | Arson | Attack on a law office | [19] |
2022 | 29 October | Seoul | 156 | Crowd crush | Crushing the crowd during Halloween festival | Seoul Halloween crowd crush |
2024 | 24 June | Hwaseong, Gyeonggi | 22 | Fire | Accidental explosion in the warehouse of a lithium battery factory | Aricell battery factory fire |
2024 | 1 July | Central Seoul | 9 | Automobile crash | Elderly driver reversed into a busy crosswalk. | 2024 Seoul car crash |
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